


Heimdall, Protector of Asgard

by TeamThor



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Ambiguous Slash, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Heimdall is a good bro, Hurt Thor (Marvel), Missing Scene, Not Beta Read, Other, Post-Avengers (2012), Thor (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Thor: The Dark World
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:34:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24859225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamThor/pseuds/TeamThor
Summary: Heimdall often considered himself a man of many duties. Protector of Asgard, Gatekeeper of the Bifrost - and occasionally, although it had less of a grand title, Stopper of Thor Doing Reckless Things.It was the latter duty that took up a lot of his time. Even more so recently: what with all the chaos the realms had managed to fall into.
Relationships: Heimdall & Thor (Marvel)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 25





	Heimdall, Protector of Asgard

Heimdall often considered himself a man of many duties. Protector of Asgard, Gatekeeper of the Bifrost - and occasionally, although it had less of a grand title, Stopper of Thor Doing Reckless Things. 

It was the latter duty that took up a lot of his time. Even more so recently: what with all the chaos the realms had managed to fall into.

It was a curious thing, recklessness. Often in youth it had inspired both the young princes to do foolish, but ultimately harmless things. Some of Heimdall's fondest memories were those of the schemes Thor and Loki had attempted as children - sneaking biscuits from the kitchens, scrolls from the library, and occasionally trying to sneak past Heimdall himself for a glimpse at the Bifrost. 

He'd often turned a blind eye to that last one. Let the Prince's think that they had somehow passed under the nose of the Gatekeeper, and watched them carefully as they looked at the stars. 

But recklessness, Heimdall had discovered, came from more than just an innocent desire for mischief and tricks. It came from sorrow - from a world falling into disarray as image after image of a golden family was shattered. It came from rage. It came from helplessness. 

Heimdall was rarely one to be reckless. He preferred to stay where he was in times of uncertainty, so much so that Frigga had once compared him to a mountain. Unmovable by others, but if a great enough shift appeared, capable of stirring the earth itself if it chose. 

And through some naivety on his part, he had hoped Thor would follow in his footsteps. The prince seemed to be taking more responsibility for himself, had even joined a team of midgardians - two, if one was to count the companions of Lady Jane (which Heimdall supposed he did - he had a certain respect for those who turned their gaze towards the stars for answers). 

Thor had returned home with his brother in chains, and Heimdall had hoped, prayed, that this meant an end to things. A sentence passed, a debt settled, and life could almost return to normal. 

But it seemed that was not to be.

Heimdall looked up at the stars, heaving a soft sigh. 

"Hello, Thor." 

A stirring from the corner of the chamber, and the young prince staggered out, a frown crossing his face. 

"You're not even going to pretend that you couldn't see me?"  
Thor rested his hand against the doorframe, leaning heavily against the golden archway. 

"Not at this time, no. Although I must admit, I hadn't expected to see you here,"  
Heimdall turned from his position, golden eyes landing on the prince - a small feeling of worry nagging at his gut as he took in his appearance. 

Decidedly not dressed for the royal court. Not even dressed for Asgard, by the looks of it. The Prince's usual mane of golden hair was tied back clumsily, an old cape and hood thrown over one shoulder. Standing there, holding the wall as if letting go would mean a sure tumble to the ground, Heimdall considered his judgement of the situation to be sound. It was strange. A strange situation. 

"Are you not due at Loki's trial?" He continued, watching as Thor made a move to pace about the room, but apparently thought better of it - remaining in the doorway. 

Unsure, afraid to enter perhaps. Or afraid to leave. 

Thor smiled bitterly, a laugh that was tinged with something close to tears echoing off the walls. 

"I wasn't permitted to attend, actually. Father considered me too close for my judgement to be sound, so…" Thor shrugged listlessly

"Here I am."

"Here you are. I take it you stopped at a tavern before arriving here to...talk, I assume?"

The question seemed to set Thor back a little bit - almost physically, with the prince taking a small step backwards. 

“Do you really think so little of me?” Thor frowned, his voice suddenly sharpening with crystal-like clarity. 

“That I would waltz in here in a drunken stupor to waste the time of, arguably, the most important man in Asgard?”

Heimdall chuckled, shaking his head. The most important man in Asgard - well, that was certainly something. 

Thor had always been liberal with his words - compliments, insults, flirts and challenges. Many people often assumed because of this that Thor didn’t possess a filter - that his thoughts journey to the open air was unchallenged, unbroken. But, that wasn’t necessarily true. The filter wasn’t broken - it was just refined. The prince was tuned to a different song, where some thoughts would be allowed to be aired, and others were not. 

Feelings of pain and heartbreak were not befitting of a Prince of Asgard - a face that was shown to the universe was not supposed to crumble or break. At least, that was what was taught. 

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Thor. And, to answer your question, no - I don’t think that,”  
He paused, fingers tapping a slow rhythm on the side of his sword as he tried to align the words in his mind. 

“I think that you came here, seeking the solace and comfort of a friend. Because you are in pain.”

“Pain?”  
Thor echoed, suddenly looking a lot smaller when placed before the brightness of the Bifrost. 

In a plain tunic, with a travel-pack slung across his shoulders, he seemed...younger, somehow. It was a curious thing - battle usually had the effect of aging soldiers, turning bright eyes dark and haunted. And yet, the battles they all had fought - friend against friend, brother against brother - it seemed to plunge them all further back into the shadows than they had been. Things were complicated, it seemed. Or perhaps they always had been, and now the cogs of the grand machine were simply illuminated for the first time. 

Heimdall had had to force himself from a cage of ice. He’d had to stand there and watch as Loki had torn apart the streets of Midgard - because that was his job. Watcher, guardsman, the Gatekeeper of Asgard. It was not his job to intervene. He just had to watch the skies, the stars, and try to figure out what it all meant. 

If it even meant anything. 

“Why…” Thor paused, blue eyes trying their hardest to maintain their focus.  
“Why would I be in pain? ”

Heimdall sighed softly, turning his gaze towards the stars - and motioning with his hand for Thor to join him. 

What is thought and what is said are often two different paths one person can take. 

What Heimdall wanted to say was: 'Thor, how long have we known each other? Years for us, centuries for others. I can see everything across the nine realms, and I see you now. I see you, when your hands fidget behind your back at every royal meeting, while the rest of you stands still. I see you try to mask fear and sadness beneath gold and bravery - to force yourself into the mould of what Odin wants you to be. Beneath it, beneath all of it, I see you. I always have.' 

What Heimdall said was:  
"Tell me."

For a few moments, Thor continued to hesitate. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, casting looks back towards the rainbow bridge - like someone wanting to ask for something, but unsure if they would be rejected for it. 

Finally, Thor made a move forward. He stepped fully into the chamber, footsteps echoing off of the circular walls as he clumsily put one foot in front of the other, until he was at Heimdall's side. 

A little too harshly, Thor sank down onto the golden stairs, clasping his hands together and looking off somewhere into the distance. 

Slowly, Heimdall lowered himself to join him. Setting his helmet down on the ground beside them, Heimdall waited.

“My talents, as many as they are, do not include mind reading, your Majesty. If you wish to bare your soul I will not turn you away - but I cannot do much for you if you don’t speak to me.”

“You could’ve fooled me.”  
Thor sighed, his face lifting slightly into a bitter smile.

“When I was younger, I used to believe you could see everything. The universe, the people - I even thought you could see into my mind. I used to lie awake at night, trying to think the silliest thoughts I could - just to try and make you laugh,”  
Thor shook his head, chuckling quietly.

“I thought it would make the nights more bearable for you. I didn’t like the thought of you being alone out here.”

“I remember.”  
Heimdall nodded.

"I just…" Thor shook his head, bringing his hands to his face. 

"I should've been there. From the start, I should have known something, or done something - but I didn't, and now the world pays the price for it. Our family is paying the price for my cowardice, and I couldn't even attend his trial."

Thor broke off after that, roughly wiping at the sides of his eyes with an angry sniff. 

“Ah, yes. Returning victorious from battle, where the enemy outnumbered you by the thousands. Defeating the armada, saving a world, and sparing the life of the one you were fighting - bringing him home to face justice,"  
Heimdall nodded sagely.

"Truly, all the signs of a coward.”

Thor cast a look at him from the side of his eyes. “You’re not funny.”

“I am incredibly funny.”

Thor shook his head, but his deeply set frown began to break into a somewhat watery smilen- still a ghost of what it could be, but it was there. 

Slowly, the chuckles turned back to tears.

Thor sniffed, knuckles turning white as his fists clenched around the fabric of his tunic

"I just can't help but think that this is all my fault."

"And that is why you came here, then? To run from this?" 

"No. Well, yes. Maybe, I don't-"  
Thor groaned, tilting his head back towards the stars. 

"If I can't be here for him now, then there is no use me being here at all. If I'm what caused this, then I might as well remove myself from the equation entirely."

"Thor," Heimdall lifted a hand, gently setting it onto the Prince's shoulder. 

"That is foolish." 

"It's logical. If...if there is a bug in a code, then you ought to remove it so the programme runs effectively." 

"What?"

"It's something Stark said - I don't know. Midgard has an insect problem, I think?"

"Truly a strange place," Heimdall frowned, shifting in his seat to fully face the young prince. 

"But running will not solve this problem, Thor. It is wholly an unpleasant matter - with no one party being to blame. But we cannot abandon those who need us most." 

Thor sighed, shaking his head.  
"I am only going to make matters worse. I'm a tool for destruction and I always have been."

"Who told you this?" 

"The universe. I think the Norns want to kill me." 

"Well, that's…a theory." 

Heimdall shuffled a tad closer, placing both hands onto Thor's shoulders, turning him to face him. 

"I wish I could take this pain from you. But this is a matter that involves us all. I cannot promise that your future here will be easy,"  
He loosened his grip, lifting one hand to rest against the Prince's neck. 

"But I can promise you that you will not face it alone." 

It seemed to take a few moments for Heimdall's words to even register, before Thor's face crumpled. With a small, broken sound, Thor leant forward until his face was firmly planted against Heimdall's shoulder. 

It was quiet, out in the Bifrost. It always had been - he himself wanted it that way. The quiet made it easier to concentrate. To shut out the rest of the world, and focus on what he needed to. 

Heimdall held Thor close, and watched the stars pass above them. 

Thor was still so young. They all were, really, compared to the grand scheme of things. Heimdall could see the outreaches of the universe and still, still, he felt blind to most of it. Things were more complex than the sun's and systems of the galaxies they lived in - events could not be predicted. Or outrun, at least, not forever. 

The world kept moving and the stars kept shining, no matter what would happen, and there was some sanctuary to be found in that. The immovability of the heavens. To find a mountain in a storm, a rock to hold onto - it was rare. But not impossible. 

If Thor needed a sanctuary for the night, then so be it. 

Some things could be predicted. Thor's back would hurt in the morning from falling asleep on the steps of the Bifrost, and his head would hurt from taking Fandral's advice to drown his sorrows in wine.

The trial would end, and things would continue. 

And no one would go through it alone.


End file.
